Box, crate, or similar receptacle



May 23, 1950 J. F. CELLA BOX, CRATE, OR SIMILAR RECEPTACLE 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Oct. 5, 1947 INVENTOR.

May 23, 1950 J. F. CELLA BOX, CRATE, 0R SIMILAR RECEPTACLE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORQ ine QW/ZM BY Filed Oct. 3, 1947 Patented May 23, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BOX, CRATE, R SIMILAR RECEPTACLE Joseph F. Celia, Crestwood,'N. Y.

Application October 3, 1947, Serial No. 777,7 91

Claims.

This invention relates to boxes, crates or similar receptacles, and more particularly to those of the character employed for containing a plurality of bottles, such as milk bottles or the like.

Boxes or crates of this kind are subjected to extremely hard use in loading the bottle-filled containers on and off conveyors, trucks or other transporting means, or when conveying the same on vehicles from bottle-filling stations to dealers or consumers. The handling, stacking and general use to which these containers are put, requires the containers to be of exceptional strength and sturdiness to not only withstand hard use but to adequately protect the bottles contained within them.

The primary object therefore, of the present invention is to provide a box, crate or similar container, and especially one intended for containing bottled goods, which will hold and fully protect its contents; which will permit satisfactory drainage of melting ice which may be packed about the bottles in the box; which will be rigidly reinforced and stiffened at those points and in those areas of the box which are likely to be subjected to the most strain and stress during handling, shipping and stacking, and which will permit ready and convenient stacking of the filled boxes.

More particularly, the invention contemplates the provision of a box or crate having side walls composed of wood or other suitable relatively heavy and penetrable material, and having end walls and a bottom composed of sheet metal suitably reinforced for strength and aperturcd for drainage, said end walls and bottom being rigidly secured to the wooden side walls by a novel arrangement of parts and fastening means, the invention also contemplating the provision of rigid corner-bracing reinforcements or stiiiening elements, said elements being formed with extended upper ends arising above the top of the box or crate and constituting positioning means by which one of the boxes or crates is readily stacked on top of another.

The invention further contemplates the provision of means by which the several metal elements employed in the box or crate are joined in cooperative relation, and in the design of the structure as a whole, whereby a rigid, sturdy. protective casing for a plurality of bottles may be most eflectively used for its intended purpose' These and other objects are attained by the invention, a more particular description of which will hereinafter appear and be set forth in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein an illustrative embodiment of the invention is disclosed, Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a box, crate or like receptacle constructed in accordance with the invention, the partitioning or separating wires or rods being omitted in order to more clearly disclose the construction of the :box; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the improved box or crate; Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 5 is an end view .of the box, and Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

The box, crate, case or other container to which the present invention relates is particularly adapted for holding bottles of various kinds especially milk bottles of the so-called square type now in wide use, although of course, a box constructed as hereinafter described may be used for containing other types of bottles and many other purposes. In the embodiment shown, the box includes a pair of similar side walls indicated at I and 2, the same being preferably made of a relatively thick and penetrable material, such as wood. Each of the side walls 'I and 2 is provided near the top with the aperture 3 constituting a hand-engaging opening to facilitate lifting and carrying of the box.

At their ends, the side walls 1 and 2 are connected by the cross-pieces or bars indicated respectively at 4 and 5 which may also be of wood, these cross-pieces being enclosed within sleevelike portions of the metallic end walls It and i1 and said cross-pieces thus serve to reinforce and stiffen the end walls in a manner to be described.

The bottom member of the box is shown at 6, the same being preferably composed of sheet metal and being materially stifiened and strengthened by means of a plurality of pressedout ribs indicated at ll, [2 .and I3. The bottom member 6 is also provided with a plurality of holes or apertures 14 which not only serve to lighten the weight of the bottom member but also constitute drainage holes through which water from melting ice packed around the bottles drains out. Additional drainage holes, shown at 15, are pro vided in the several reinforcing ribs 5 i, l2 and I3.

At its side edges, the bottom member is bent downwardly as indicated at 29 and is thence bent upwardly to form upstanding flanges 1, said flanges being disposed against the side walls I and 2 near the lower edges'thereof. The upper edges of the flanges 1 may be inturned into the body of the side walls as indicated at 40 in Fig. 3. Rivets 9 or other equivalent fastening means are extended through the flanges I and these rivets also pass through the side walls 1 and 2 and through upwardly-bent tabs 8 which are struck out of the body of the bottom member 6 and lie against the inner faces of the side walls I and 2 of the box near the lower edges of the side walls. Through the arrangement described, it will be seen that the lower edge portions of the side walls I and 2 are embraced between the flanges 1 and the tabs 8 and are securely fastened thereto by means of the rivets 9.

At its opposite ends, the bottom member 6 is provided with upturned tabs I0, similar in shape and size to those indicated, at 8, and said end tabs I are disposed flatwisely against the inner faces of the metallic end walls It and ll of the box and securely fastened thereto by soldering, welding, rivets or other suitable fastening means.

Each of the end walls 15 and I! is composed of sheet metal and the side edges of the same are formed with flanges [8 which are bent around the ends of the side walls I and 2 and are fastened against the faces of the side walls by rivets [9 or other equivalent fastening means. At its top, each of the side Walls I and 2 is bent around one of the top cross Pieces 4 to enclose the same, as clearly seen at 20 in Fig. 4, this sleeve-like portion 20 of the end wall being thus stiffened and strongly reinforced by utilizing the crosspiece 4 at its core. Similarly, the lower end of each end wall is bent'around a lower cross-piece 5, as indicated at 21 in Fig. 4, to thus provide an enclosing sleeve for the cross piece. These cross-pieces and enclosing sleeves 2'! therefor provide a support for the ends of the bottom member 6 as will be apparent from Fig. 4. Near the top, and directly below the upper cross piece 4, each of the end walls [6 and ll is formed with a hand-engaging aperture 2|, surrounded by the inturned flange 33, and facilitating lifting and carrying of the box.

When a box of this character is employed for containing bottles, it is divided or separated into a plurality of bottle compartments. The separators for this purpose may be in the form of the crossed wires or rods indicated at 30 and 3|, these rods terminating in headed ends 42 which may, in the case of the wooden side walls, be countersunk therein as clearly seen in Fig. 4. The interior of the box may, if desired, be partitioned in any other suitable manner. v

The box is strongly reinforced at its internal corners by means of vertically-disposed angle bars 22 of relatively stiff and strong metal, these bars or corner reinforcements being secured in place by means of the rivets 23 and the rivets l9. At

its top, each of the reinforcing bars 22 is provided with an angularly-extending tip portion or extremity 24, constituting a stacking guide, and facilitating the accurate placement of one box on top of another and holding the stacked boxes against sliding displacement during transporta tion.

From the foregoing, the uses and advantages of a box or crate constructed as above described, will be apparent. The metallic end walls and bottom members, together with the means for connecting the same to the side walls and to the corner reinforcements provide a box of extraordinar sturdiness capable of withstanding the.

hard use to which boxes of this character are subjected. The metallic parts of the box may be made of, or coated with, corrosion-resistant material; the box will drain readily and the life of a box of this character is a very substantial one.

Having described oneembodiment of the invention, it is obvious that the same is not to be restricted thereto, but is broad enough to cover all structures coming within the, scope of the annexed claims. 1

What I claim is:

1. A box or crate for holding bottles comprising, a pair of spaced side walls of penetrable material, a sheet-metal bottom having upturned side flanges overlying the outer faces of the side walls adjacent to the lower edge portions thereof,

means for attaching said flanges to the side walls,

tabs struck out from the bottom and extended upwardly to lie against the inner faces of the side walls adjacent to the lower end thereof, said tabs being engaged by said attaching means to thereby fasten said tabs to the side walls, upper andlower cross bars at the ends of the side walls, metallic end walls having sleeve portions at their upper and lower ends engaging around said cross bars, side flanges on said end walls extended around the ends of the side walls, and means for attaching said flanges to said side walls.

2. In a box or crate for holding bottles, and as provided for in claim 1, and including angle bars located in the corner junctions of the end walls and side walls, said angle bars being attached to the side walls by the means which fastens the flanges thereto, the angle bars being attached to the end Walls by fastening members penetrating said end walls and said angle bars, the angle bars having top portions extending above the top of the box and constituting guide means for aiding in stacking the boxes or crates in superposed relation.

3. In a box or crate for containing bottles, a pair of spaced wooden sides, said sides being connected near the top by cross bars and connected near the lower end by bottom cross bars, a metallic end member'at each end of the box, said end member being shaped at the top to provide a sleeve enclosing one of the top cross bars and being shaped at the bottom to provide a sleeve enclosing one of the bottom cross bars, a bottom member having upwardly bent flanges fastened to the outer face of the sides adjacent to the lower edges of the same, tongues struck from the bottom member and projected upwardly and disposed against the side walls and fastened thereto,

and angle bars secured within the box at the corners thereof and having upper ends projecting above the top of the box to form stacking guides.

4. In a box or crate of the character described, a pair of spaced wooden side walls, cross bars extending between said side walls at ends near the tops and bottoms thereof, sheet metal end walls extending between the side walls, said end walls having turned-over portions enclosing the cross bars, said end walls having edge flanges extended around the ends of the side walls and secured against the outer faces of said side walls, a ribbed and apertured sheet metal bottom member having upturned side flanges secured against the outer faces of the side walls at the lower edges of said walls, said bottom also having tabs turned upwardly within the box and attached to the inside faces of the side walls and end walls, and reinforcing members on the inside of the box at the corners thereof, said reinforcing bars projecting above the top of the box to form stacking guides.

5. A box for containing bottles comprising, a pair of spaced wooden side walls, cross pieces at the ends of said side walls near the top and bottom thereof, end walls extending between the ends of the side walls, said end walls having parts extending around and enclosing the cross-pieces and provided with flanges extending around the ends of the side walls and attached to the outer form of a ribbed and apertured plate, said bottom member being formed with upwardly-bent flanges overlying the outer faces of the side walls near the lower edges thereof, tabs struck from the body of the bottom member and extended upwardly within the box and disposed against the inner faces of the side walls, fastening members extended through the side walls and through the flanges on the bottom member and through the tabs thereon, tabs at the ends of the bottom member, the latter tabs extending upwardly within the box and lying against. the end walls and being secured thereto, wire separators within the box extending between the several walls thereof, and angle bars within the box at the corner junctions of the end walls and side walls, said angle bars having parts projecting above the top of the box and constituting stacking guides.

JOSEPH F. CELLA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,015,454 Mueller Jan. 23, 1912. 1,026,059 Smith May 1 1, 1912 1,564,658 Xardell Dec. 8, 1925 1,781,825 Stoddard Nov. 18, 193 0 1,980,545 North Nov. 13, 1934 2,160,631 Woolsey May 30, 1939 2,341,150 Locke Feb. 8, 1944 2,383,853 Guyer Aug. 28, 1945 

